Chitemwano Women’s Club Bakery Turns MK 150,000 Startup into Over MK 1.3 Million in Revenue
By Noel Chatepa
The Chitemwano Women’s Club Bakery was established in September 2025 following an intervention by the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) Karonga Diocese through its Enhancing Climate Change Resilience of Rural Communities Living in Lakeshore Areas in Karonga Diocese project. After identifying women around the Chiweta community, CADECOM facilitated the formation of the club, providing MK 150,000 as startup capital and constructing a low-cost, locally made oven that was handed over to the women that same month.
The women launched their bakery business selling scones to the local community in Chiweta and, by December 2026, they had generated a total income of MK 1.3 million from the initial MK150,000. Recognizing the importance of reinvestment, the club resolved to set aside part of their profits to purchase items that would further boost their operations.
“We took 400 thousand Malawi Kwacha from the proceeds to buy utensils and items for the bakery and ever since we have seen a boost in our business. We are now able to make a profit of 40,000 Malawi Kwacha from every bag of flour that we use and in a good week, we are able to use four bags of flour, translating to about MK160,000 in profits per week which when compared to the initial MK150,000 that we were given by CADECOM is a lot of money,” said Mary Mkandawire, Chairlady for Chitemwano Women’s Club.
The chairlady says the decision to reinvest MK 400,000 in new utensils and bakery equipment has made a tangible difference as the club now earns a profit of MK 40,000 per bag of flour used and they are able to use 4 bags of flour on a busy week generating profit of up to MK 160,000 per week surpassing the MK150,000 that they were initially given by CADECOM.
Looking ahead Mkandawire says the women are planning to diversify their income by using the proceeds from the bakery to purchase farm produce from local farmers and resell it at a profit. They also have plans to improve their packaging and acquire a motorcycle to extend their delivery reach across Chiweta.
“With the proceeds from the bakery, we plan to be buying produce from farms and resell at higher prices. We also plan to improve our packaging and buy a motorcycle so that our scones can be delivered all over Chiweta”, says the Chairlady.